The Dark Deities
by RogueLuce
Summary: Nineteen-year-old Rachel Berry used to be a waitress in Lima. Before an accident brings to light her strange powers. Sent to a secret school, she starts to gain control over her dangerous abilities while finding a place in her new magical reality. Her growing feelings for an older classmate, Quinn, also stand in the way of Rachel's future as the most powerful deity yet. Faberry.
1. I: The Hero is the Villain

**Hey there!**

 **Enjoy and review!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

In some ways, it was expected of her.

She'd always known she wasn't like her peers, that much was clear early on.

Still, she couldn't help feeling at loss after the fateful day that confirmed her parents' suspicions.

 _I can't be_...she whispered to herself the night before her imminent departure.

It was irrational, and crazy.

It was also the truth.

* * *

 **Chapter I: The hero is the villain**

Rachel Berry shivered. She wasn't sure wherever it was because of the wind or the enormity of the situation. She settled for both.

She clutched her bag, forcing her hands to cease shaking. A loud metallic voice boomed through the station announcing her train imminent arrival.

Her stomach clenched with anguish. It seemed as if it was all part of a dream, or rather a nightmare. Only a few days before she was normal. Or at least she lived a normal existence.

 _No time to reminiscence,_ she willed herself to reach the rails, making sure that she did not overstep the yellow line. Rachel had never been a rule breaker, nothing would change that.

The train arrived a few minutes afterwards, the speed of it made a tangled mess out of her previously neat hair. _No time for vanity._

It took two strong tugs before she was able to open her compartment door. She then carried her suitcase and backpacks at her assigned seat. Hurriedly she sat down in her allocated seat. With a huge sigh she waited until the train moved again before taking a look around.

Her mouth formed an "o" of surprise once she realized she was the only passenger of the carriage.

 _No time for questions._

* * *

She'd dozed off soon afterwards. Two days of sleep deprivation catching up with her.

Once awake again she automatically reached for her phone, before remembering it had been reputed as a dangerous link to her therefore taken away from her. She avoided thinking about how long it would be until she would able to hear from Hiram and Leroy. It helped that she wasn't feeling particularly amicable towards them. _Don't go there._ Yes, no need to further spoil her mood.

Her laptop had also been pegged as a threat, and it now laid abandoned in her bedroom -her _old_ bedroom- alongside most of her beloved possessions.

Drawing a shaky breath as she forced herself away from those kind of thoughts.

For once she wouldn't have minded sharing the carriage with an especially boisterous family. Anything to keep her from brooding over her situation. Sadly, other than a ticket inspector Rachel's journey was a relative quiet one.

No family would go on a trip to middle of nowhere Canada in October.

The further she ventured in her journey, the more anxious she became.

If only things could have been different.

She would be now attending her second year at NYADA, sharing an apartment with Finn.

She didn't know her dream would last only three mere months, and that Finn's death would cause her return to Lima. Her bright promising future vanishing before her eyes.

That had been eleven months before, and it seemed things could go from worse to worser.

Sighing she once again reprised herself from remembering what went wrong in her life.

It was too late now.

The long relentless journey came to a sullen end. Rachel couldn't say how long it had taken, what had felt like days must have been really less than twelve hours.

Outside it was pitch black. The abandoned looking station -it was a stretch referring to it has one- was rather small. Rachel was struck again by the oddity of it all. Had she followed the instructions correctly? Was this the right stop?

She hoped so, her train had just left, and it was freezing.

 _Soon._ They would collect her soon.

So she waited. Eyeing her wristwatch every few minutes. She hadn't been late, so why weren't they there?

Maybe her dads had given them the wrong time. Maybe she shouldn't have bothered obeying them. She should have just run away.

 _But where?_ She chided herself. _To whom?_

 _You are dangerous. You shouldn't be running free._

Forty freezing minutes later a woman walked into the station. She was wearing a long winter coat and a big hat. In the dim light Rachel couldn't tell wherever her skin was fair or dark. She couldn't really make out much, she did notice her gaze settling onto hers. In response, her body seemed to be enveloped in a cold sweat.

The woman walked towards her while Rachel remained frozen unable to move.

 _What next?_

"Rachel Berry?"The woman asked. It felt like a demand, her accent -Scandinavian perhaps- weighted her name down. It seemed as if the girl in question wasn't Rachel herself.

Rachel licked her chapped lips before answering with a short nod.

The woman waved a gloved hand. At the gesture two men marched through the battered entrance. Both wearing suits and sunglasses. Sunglasses. Dark lenses and all.

The taller one out of the two grabbed Rachel's suitcases. She wanted to complain, but all she could do was tighten her grip on her bag. The man wavered a moment before retracing his steps. Rachel sighed a breath of relief. That bag was a present from Finn, and there was no way she was about to let a mysterious man take it from her.

"I'm Emma." The woman said, her accent seemed to have suddenly dissipated leaving behind a chirpy and youthful voice. "I am a member of the Institute. You must be tired from your journey so it's better if we make our way back."

For some reason Rachel thought the woman would shake her hand, before she noticed that her gloved hands were rigidly still by her sides.

"Come on, it's cold outside."

It wasn't an invitation but an order.

 _Too late to turn back._

* * *

Rachel Berry took orders as quickly as she could. The lunch rush however didn't seem to cease and that was after a very long morning shift. She hated Wednesdays the most. To be fair, she hated every single day of the week. It had been less than a year since she'd moved back to Lima, but it felt like she had always worked at Wendy's. Her once bright future now had diminished to a bleak succession of long and tiring shifts.

"I asked for extra fries!" A young girl complained, her annoyingly nasal voice made her request even more irritating.

"I asked for a skinny not a full fat latte!"

"Is this gluten free?"

"How many calories does it have?"

"I want two extra shots!"

Everyone had become hard work. While working as a waitress, Rachel had quickly become repellent to other people, consequently her social life had been reduced to a brief exchange of words with an old lady who sat down next to her on her bus journey home.

It wasn't all bad. At least while she worked she didn't think about Finn. And she could also avoid her concerned parents.

Once the lunch rush was over things usually were quite slow. She was alone behind the counter when a group of four young people came in. Rachel sighed immediately once she recognized her high school former bullies. _Keep it cool Berry._

Karofsky looked as shaggy as ever, his thick arm drooped around none other than just-as-blonde-as-ever Kitty. Azimio's laugh made her want to puke. Yet she plastered her perfectly studied best-waitress-ever smile and welcomed them.

"Berry!"The brunette -Rachel could not recall her name- shrieked before exploding in a fit of giggles. "Oh god!You look as dorky as ever!"

More laughter followed. As if she'd just made an actually amusing joke.

 _Hilarious._ "What can I get you?"

Azimio leaned over the counter, his smirk just as annoying as she'd remembered it to be. "What you doin' here? Thought you were in the big city, living the dream."

David snorted, looking pissed. "Turns out she is just a fucking looser. Still think you are better than us?"

Rachel wished she could ask Tom, her co-worker, to intervene. However he was having his break. "Ha-ha." She forced a laugh, pretending to be at ease. "So, what can I get you?"

"Weren't you dating Finn?Fuck. Now I remember. Still fucking?"

His crude words made her flinch.

Azimio, seeing her reaction, continued. "He still fuckin' you?Not so high and mighty, eh? Fucking cunt."

They were altered obviously. Maybe even high. How else could she explain it?

She didn't believe that they could possibly behave like such animals.

"Can I take your order?"She asked again, hiding her shaking hands in her apron. _Just a few minutes… Tom will be back._

"Wouldn't fuck with nobody else but him. Remember Karofsky? She turned you down man!"

David's nostrils flared. Oh yes, he definitely remembered. "Not a star yet? What they saw your ugly mug and turned you down?"They all laughed again. "So what about now?Finn still thinks you are fuckable?!"

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave!"Rachel finally said. "Or I will have to call my manager."

She wasn't sure wherever she would or not, however she could no longer listen to their vulgar slander. "Leave now."

Kitty made a disdained sound. "Make me, bitch!"

Rachel made a move to reach the phone. Just a single step closer to the receiver.

That's when it happened.

Azimio grabbed her across the counter, his fist closing around her arm. He pulled her towards him crashing her body against the worktop.

Karofsky jumped over the surface, and loomed dangerously before her. She called out, for help, screamed at the top of her lungs. The boy however was faster. He was on top of her in a flash.

His whole body crushing her petite frame. He was shouting and laughing, his alcohol infused breath made her gag.

Azimio and the girls soon followed. They all had their phones in their hands, as if they'd shared the same cruel idea.

"Take her clothes off!"

"Not so fucking good anymore hey?"

"Where is your boy now?"

 _Dead. Buried beneath. Dead. Rotted away._

David punched her, while somebody's foot connected to her side.

Then it was over.

They scattered away. Running to their cars, their roaring laughter echoing behind them.

Rachel stood uneasily, her bruised body screamed in pain.

She knew someone was behind her, although she could not clearly hear or see anymore. She twisted her body, expecting to find Karofsky's bulky figure.

Tom's shocked expression made her realize that something wasn't quite right.

Tom backed away clutching his sides. Blood poured out of his eyes and mouth and nose.

Rachel didn't understand. Why was Tom bleeding out on Wendy's sickly coloured linoleum floor? Why were her hands soaked by his blood?

The following hours passed in a blur. Police, ambulances, noisy people.

And her parents of course.

Great confusion clouded those memories.

In those hours, she was told that she had to leave. Immediately.

Leave before the police could question her.

Or the doctors examine her.

So she did leave. Obediently, she left.

Her numb mind following those orders, without any explanation given.

She knew that Tom was dead.

She also knew that she'd somehow killed him.

Leroy and Hiram did not answer her pleas. They gave her the train ticket, and dropped her off at the nearest train station.

"You can't come back."

"Never?"Rachel stupidly asked, twisting her numb hands in her lap.

Leroy's eyes stayed on the road ahead, his hands tightening against the steering wheel. "You can't stay Rach. You do not belong with us."

No more words where spoken during that drive. Rachel got off at the train station without a single hug or kiss. They dropped her suitcases on the sidewalk and stepped back into the car.

Rachel was alone.

Her clean hands bore no signs of the red fluid that had covered them at the end of her last ever shift at Wendy's.

Still, she could sense it. The stain had tainted them on the inside. They no longer felt as if they belonged to nineteen year old Rachel Berry.

 _Something wicked this way comes._

 _Me._

* * *

 ** _Hope you enjoyed!Longer chapters soon to come!_**


	2. II: The Deceit of the Helpess

**Hi there!**

 **Thank you so much for following and favoring this story! It means the world to me!**

 **So, I hope you like this chapter and I am already finishing up the next one.**

 **If you have any questions ask ahead.**

 **Also criticism is welcome, however I will delete rude comment.**

 **PS: I know it's probably to early to ask, but does anyone want to be a beta reader for this story?**

* * *

 **Chapter II: The deceit of the helpless**

The weekends were the worst.

Wendy's would be full of loud families, and they all demanded extra attention.

Needless to say that Rachel wasn't a fan. She barely tolerated those shifts.

The only upside being that Mondays was her day off, and once the weekend was over she had her well deserved day of rest.

Was it already Monday?

It couldn't be. The weekend had passed too quickly. It was probably still Sunday, which meant she had a long shift ahead.

Groaning, she opened her eyes expecting to be looking up to her familiar lilac ceiling, only to realize that she was staring at the backseat of a moving car. She wasn't laying down on her bed. She was sitting awkwardly in a SUV that was being driven by an odd woman she'd just met.

 _Great._

"Soon, we will get there."Emma said from the driver's seat. Rachel hadn't noticed that she was also wearing sunglasses. To be fair she had been absorbed by how strange the woman was, generally speaking. From her big black hat to her dark and elegant gloves.

Rachel nodded barely containing her racing thoughts. Why had she obeyed to Leroy and Hiram?

Because she was a goody two shoes that liked to kill her co-workers, that's why.

The thought made her shiver. Tom's lifeless body on the ground was an image she saw every time she closed her eyes. That, and a sea of red. She kept seeing red allover. Pouring down and filling every gap and corner, leaving room for nothing else.

* * *

Everything was dark and Rachel couldn't see past the headlights of the car.

She knew she was in Canada. Or at least she believed she was in Canada. For all she knew they could have been in Quebec or on their way to Alaska. Or maybe she'd been wrong -big time- and they'd traveled all the way to South America.

She pictured this _institute_ as a prison. Or maybe a castle. With thunder in the background. Cliche as it sounded, it seemed rather fitting to the situation. Which itself was cliche: a young girl who never quite managed to _fit in_ discovers that she has unusual abilities? Yeah. Nothing new. Except that instead of seeing fairies or talking to cute and furry animals, she could make people bleed to death. How delightful.

The man sitting opposite to her never moved from his spot. His stillness gave her the chills. That and the fact that they were all wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night. Who were they?Teachers?

She wasn't about to ask.

The car finally came to halt, into what seemed to be an abandoned and empty parking space.

Emma killed the engine before twisting around so she could face her. "Sorry about the walk, this is the closest place to the school. From now on, on foot."

Rachel swallowed loudly. "Not a problem."She whispered before breaking eye contact. The sunglasses didn't make the older woman look less intimidating. She followed them outside shivering in her coat.

She could make out three small and rustic parking spaces surrounded by tall dark trees. Calling them parking space was generous. The car was sitting on a patch of dirt with a few black marks to separate them from the other two spaces.

Rachel looked towards the trees. A conifer forest, that much was clear. She remembered, years before, doing a paper on the preservation of the Boreal forest in her research she'd wondered wherever the air would have smelt fresher. Now she knew, it did. Even the wind felt different from the one that occasionally blew in Lima.

The road they'd arrived from was hidden away by the trees, and that was the only visible path.

She wondered which way was the institute supposedly supposed to be.

The two men carried her suitcases and disappeared in the woods. Just like that, they vanished without a trace.

"Are we going to follow them?"Rachel cautioned. _What if I've just been robbed?What if there is no special school?!_ The trail of thoughts that followed were each less reassuring than the other.

Her dads hadn't said a word about this place other than: "It's for people like you."

Had they paid a tuition?Or had they been forced to send her there?

"Yes, we'll follow them. However,"Emma paused then, inching closer, her unusual accent was once again marked by a Scandinavian cadence. "You won't remember the trail. You see, we cannot trust a newcomer. What if you tell others our whereabouts? Plus, we can't afford to have young and confused people on the run. You understand, don't you?"In one swift move she lowered her shades, and looked straight into the girl's eyes.

Rachel's lips parted, ready to voice her outrage at the sugar-coated treat, before her body decided to betray her. She swayed suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness and fell into a relentless slumber.

* * *

A woman was standing by the water. Her bare feet barely touching the frozen water. She was standing by what seemed to be a large lake, surrounded by tundra. In the distance Rachel could see dark mountains, their peaks white against the blue clear sky. The woman wasn't facing her. Although she couldn't see her face, she could hear her voice.

Low and hoarse.

The woman wasn't making any sense. It didn't seem possible that her words belonged to any existing language.

Still Rachel felt compelled to listen, although she knew that she wasn't physically standing there, she'd never felt such a strong connection to another person. Nor Finn, nor her dads.

Then the woman screamed, a loud and painful earth shattering screech, lifting her arms over her head, her hands reaching above, towards the sky.

* * *

Rachel woke with a scream. It was her own voice that rang through her ears, and not the one of the eerily familiar woman she'd just seen. Except that now she was definitely not looking at a woman standing by the water. She was in a bed, in an unfamiliar room. Rays of light peaked through peach coloured curtains, illuminating her surroundings, which consisted in the double sided bed which she was currently in. Other than the window there was a single wooden door.

Rachel hesitated before lifting her blanket and breathed a sigh of relief in seeing that she was still wearing her gray t-shirt and black trousers. She was tempted to check wherever there were scars on her body, just so to confirm that they hadn't harvest her organs. _Just to be sure._

She stood and shivered,remembering what had happened before she'd blacked out.

Emma had done that!

How foolish to believe that she could be safe in the middle of nowhere following three odd strangers deep into a forest. How could her parents do this to her?

She stumbled to the window, and brusquely parted the curtains. In the background she could see the outline of a few mountains, while the rest of her view was submerged by tall dark trees. She'd been right, most of them were firs and spruces. They were the most common trees in the Canadian Boreal forest. Sadly however that did not help her to locate her whereabouts, because that type of forest extended Yukon to Quebec.

There was a patch of grass, which probably was the building's back garden. She opened the window and peered outside. She was at the third floor of a georgian house. She could not see how far did the building extend to, but she could tell it was quite a big property.

The brisk air outside made her pull back into the bedroom. She had just closed the window's latch when the door slammed open. She jumped, swallowing back down a scream. _Rachel Berry keep it together. Don't make them see you afraid. Fearful isn't a trait of mine._

"You sure are jumpy!" Emma greeted her. She was holding a tray in her hands, which had a mug of what presumably seemed like coffee and a plate with two homemade looking waffles.

Emma was wearing a flowery dress, that could kindly be described as "bright". She wasn't wearing her weird all-black accessories, such as the shades. Her inhuman yellow-ish eyes twinkled in the morning light. Her red hair was pulled up in an elegant top knot, that made her look normal, beautiful even. "I'll put the tray on the bed, sorry for the temporary arrangement, but your arrival sure was sudden." She carefully laid down the tray, before retracing her steps to the door. "I have to apologize for yesterday. This is a school, not a prison. But, we can't let new arrivals be swept away by their new...circumstances. You can think of it as a precautionary measure. I'll come by later, eat now."

"I don't understand any of it!" Rachel exclaimed, suddenly ignoring her plan to "keep it together".

Emma smiled sadly. "All in good time." She closed the door behind her, leaving once again Rachel to her own paranoid ridden mind.

* * *

Her grumbling stomach betrayed her, and she approached the tray. She studied its contents, frowning she picked up a note next to waffle plate.

"IT'S VEGAN!" It stated in a very loopy handwriting.

Her parents had told them, no doubt. Which meant they had to have some sort of contact with the school. Maybe they'd made arrangements years before.

Had they always known it would come to this?

Rachel Berry was not stupid. Growing up she'd always known that she was different from other kids. But she'd never imagined that different would be _this different_. Also, her parents had always repeated to her that the only difference between their daughter and other children was that she was talented. Her dads were like that. They never tiptoed around her, they'd always seemed honest.

 _Liars._ Just thinking about them made her feel awful and it spoiled her appetite. All the better hence the food could be poisonous. She obediently waited by the window for what seemed to be hours. They'd taken her watch so she couldn't be sure.

As promised, it was Emma who came by. She eyed disapprovingly the untouched tray but did not comment on it. "Follow me, I'll take you downstairs. The girls are training outdoors, so I can show you around in peace."

Rachel eagerly followed her outside the room.

Halfway through the landing there was lovely set of stairs, Emma followed them downstairs. Rachel had been right at guessing that her room had been on the third floor, which made her smile stupidly.

"The house was recently rebuilt, it used to be an old rural house. At the time it served the same function it serves today. It's off the radar which is ideal for our activities." While she was speaking she walked through the front hall, which had a big set of double doors that must have lead outside. "Four floors, the ground floor, has a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, it's mostly used by the girls during their free time. We take turns cooking and cleaning up." She walked past a large dining room that faced the same direction as the bedroom Rachel had woken up in. The glass sliding doors showed the same view onto a small portion of grass that preceded the treeline. Instead of a fence there were a few flower pots which outlined the garden. Maybe it was just the dining room's garden. As if reading her mind, Emma opened one of the sliding doors. "When the weather permits we put a table out, it's quite nice." She smiled, and it seemed honest, rather than forced. She closed the door and resumed their tour. The kitchen was large and modern, definitely made in recent times. Did an agency really come to set it up in the middle of nowhere? It was hard to believe they'd done it themselves.

They returned to the hall, stopping by the stairs. "The first floor has a few libraries and studies, while the second is mostly used by us teachers. You girls sleep on the fourth floor, the third floor is usually not used. " Beaming, she looked unexpectedly at her. "Any questions?"

 _Are you kidding me?!_ "Just a few," Rachel reply was close to a hiss. "Such as," she went on to say with a surreal calm voice. "What in the world is going own?"

Emma frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

Rachel laughed incredulous. She wrapped her arms around herself while her eyes roamed suspiciously her surroundings. "I did something awful and now my dads sent me away without any explanation other than get off at the tenth stop of this train ride to nowhere!" Her voice rose with each word, she was about to lose it completely. "So no, I don't understand. You guys , who are you?! How did my parents know about this place? I am not underage, I am an adult which means I should be able to go wherever I want! So why should I stay here, with weirdos who wear sunglasses in the middle of the night and have yellow eyes?!" She paused to take a breath."Yellow!" Rachel repeated incredulous.

Emma had listened to her frenetic rant by remaining calmly composed. "Your parents should be the ones telling you about the circumstances surrounding your...coming here. Not me."

"How long have they know about this place?Why did they-"

Emma interrupted her with a sigh. "As I said, they should tell you about these kind of information." She turned around and walked off towards the kitchen.

Rachel was once again bewildered, and remained still for a few seconds. Then she snapped into action. In a few strides she caught up with Emma, standing in her way by blocking the kitchen door.

"Can you please tell me at least what is happening?!" She shouted. Good thing she wanted to keep it together. "Now!"She urged.

Emma's voice seemed as collected as ever. "Are you trying to say...you don't know anything?They didn't tell you? You didn't know about your heritage?"

Rachel shook her head. "No. I have no idea other than I somehow made Tom bleed to death. I know I did it. I wished I could hurt...someone else but instead...it was an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen. The police wanted to talk to me but my dads sent me away before they could. That's all I know."

Emma patted Rachel's arm, in what was intended to be a reassuring gesture, but served to aggravate Rachel's uneasiness.

"I thought you'd been told at least about it. It seems I overlooked things. Sorry, you are our first real new student. I forget how to behave sometimes."

"What is this place?" Rachel pleaded, for what seemed to be the tenth time that morning.

Emma's unnatural eyes bore into her own rather common brown ones.

"This school was made by witches. So other young witches could grow up and study what had been banned and forbidden in older times."

Rachel laugh didn't seem to be appreciated. Emma still looked deadly serious. "Are you saying, you are a witch?And so am I?"

"Yes, we are not entirely human. You, Rachel Berry, are a witch."

She'd never been called a witch before, a hag once or twice, but never witch. It was too infantile, even for brain dead high school bullies.

"Not kidding..." Rachel murmured, her legs felt wobbly and she was overwhelmed by a strong urge to slide on the floor.

"It's the truth. Witches are in some ways a cross between mortals and the otherworldly creatures. Not many left, as you might have imagined. You see, only few witches manage to give birth, most of us are infertile. So usually newborn witches are born and raised in their coven, which are nowadays referred to schools or institute." Emma pulled the young girl towards the couch, as if preventing her imminent fall. "Sit, there is quite a bit you should now."

Rachel obeyed, and sat down next to a comforting looking lilac pillow.

While her brain said NO her instincts knew Emma was telling the truth. It explained things, or some things at least. A small part of her had once hoped that magic really existed. I mean, she'd read Harry Potter countless times. Sadly this school was no Hogwarts, and it seemed that making people bleed to death with just a thought was something more suitable to Voldemort.

"I won't go into details now, but I'll tell you...let's say, the basics. Witches are rare, hard to come by. Birth is a rare thing among us. All the witches roaming the world now are quite old, you see, we have ways of prolonging our lives. Witches used to live within their small covens. Nowadays things are different. Most witches have been hunted down by... Other creatures, no need to delve into that either." A shiver ran down Rachel's spine. _Hunted down?!_ "So we keep together or try to. Some of the younger ones want to change things but they don't understand the gravity of this war. So we keep them far from the mundane world. I raised the girls who live here, most of their mothers weren't fortunate enough to raise them with me. Sorry, I am straying from the subject. What I wanted to say is that although I said I wouldn't tell, I find it incredibly outrageous that you've been kept in the dark about who you are. I just thought you were trying to get out of here as most younglings would try to. I'd never heard about your parents, until a few days ago. They somehow contacted us telling us that of their dangerous daughter who was a witch. We found a way to confirm they weren't lying, so I decided to take you in."

She paused, giving her time to process all that. It took a huge amount of will not to throw a fit. And Rachel really would have loved nothing more than to shout and scream at the absurdity of it all.

"That is all I know, about you I mean. We could sense another witch, but we'd never imagined that she would be the youngest one."

"Youngest?"

Emma nodded, the sad smile returning. "We are a dying kind Rachel. We thought that after Brittany there hadn't been any more births. But, it seems that you are the youngest one yet."

"That means... No witches have been born for nineteen years?" Rachel felt strangely... emotional about it. Which was stupid since she's just learned about the existence of witches.

"Sadly. Which is slightly better than what we thought, which is nearly twenty two years. Not a huge difference, yet it's vital. The fact that we didn't sense your birth... I don't understand it yet."

Rachel was once again slightly bewildered at the woman's words. "Witches sense one another?"

"More than that, we know at all times how many of us are out there. It's a link you see, we know when one of us perishes or comes to life. I mistook you for one of the solitary witches, the ancient ones who roam about... I was wrong. I could hardly believe when your parents contacted me."

Rachel mulled over Emma's words before asking with skepticism, "So witches sense one another all the time? All of them? Do you know exactly how many witches are left?"

Emma's smile turned sour, as if she'd just tasted something repulsive. She stood up and smoothed her skirt before replying to her question. "Twenty-three as of today. Last year twenty-five. Ten years ago thirty-seven. A hundred years ago seventy."Emma drew a shaky breath before returning to what seemed to be her cheerful self. "Come on, the girls will soon be back from their lesson with Sue. I'll show you your real room."

Rachel followed her once again up the stairs to the fourth floor.

Her room was facing the back of the house, and she could spot the small outside garden, but her view was mostly occupied by tall and lovely trees. The walls were of a soft pastel colour, that was a combination of blue and gray. Two beds rested beside the two opposites walls of the room. Half of the room was untouched while the other... wasn't as tidy. The bed had been left undone, a couple of clothes and magazines lay on the ground.

Emma sighed looking slightly irritated. "I told her to tidy up..."she grumbled, picking up the things on the floor. "Sorry about the mess Rachel, Santana isn't a fan of cleaning in general. Anyway, you each have a wardrobe, although you will have to wear a uniform while you are studying here. I left you suitcase and bags in your wardrobe, and I hope that the uniform fits you, otherwise I'll try to find another size." After one last glance in her direction, she left, closing the door behind her.

Rachel waited a few seconds before slamming open her wardrobe. How could she have not noticed that her bag was missing? For the first time in nearly a year, she had not thought about Finn. She picked her bag up, and pressed it to her chest.

"I'm so sorry." She whimpered, fighting back her tears.

* * *

The uniform was ridiculous. The pleated skirt and gray jumper were... boring. Why were they making twenty year olds wear silly frilly uniforms? Rachel would have understood if they'd given her a cape or a pointy hat...

She had a quick shower in the bathroom she shared with the messy girl, Santana, before going downstairs again.

She heard laughter and chatter.

Her stomach was tied in knots, she wasn't any good around people her age. She remembered Karofsky's angry face spitting insults over her. She hesitated on the last step, what was she doing there?! She should have left... she was no witch.

 _Just a murderer._

* * *

There were a few girls standing in the living room. They were all wearing the same uniform except for Emma and a tall blonde lady, who was wearing a bright red track suit.

They all turned immediately to face her, wearing matching curious expressions.

 _Great._

Rachel meekly waved her hand in what was supposed to be a confident notion, that probably looked nothing other than stupid.

"Hi, my name is Rachel Berry." She sputtered out.

The only friendly smile was from Emma; the others didn't look to keen on her lame introduction. Five girls in total. One in particular was giving a really dirty look.

Emma thankfully broke the awkward silence. "Everyone..." She began with an encouraging nod.

A girl with blue stripes in her hair groaned. "I'm Tina."

Next to her a scrawny brunette let out a huge sigh, as if introducing herself was a huge pain in the ass. "I'm Marley."

"Santana." Spat out the one who'd been shooting darts in her direction. "And what happened to your face?"

Rachel looked horrified at her words. She'd forgotten all about the bruises made by Karofsky.

The tall blonde girl next to the latina was the only one who seemed nice enough not to grumble. "Hi Rachel! This is so weird!"She squealed, practically bouncing. "I'm Brittany, and you were raised with the norms right?How is it?Do they have lots of shops?Cable TV?Have you seen the Internet?"

The lady in the track suit made a noncommittal snort, earning a disapproving look from Emma.

"I'm Quinn." The girl who'd spoken was...gorgeous. A cool kind beauty. Also, noted Rachel to her displeasure, she looked like the type of girl who would have loved to torture her in high school. Not that these girl went to her "mundane" high school.

"And I am Sue. I teach you girls different ways of combat."

Rachel looked at her, incredulous at her words. Did she just say combat?!

Emma sensed her upcoming panic, so she diplomatically offered to make her some lunch.

"You girls, go study upstairs. Rachel needs to get used to things."

Sue also left, saying that she had things that needed to get done.

"What would you like? I have some vegetables, which Marley grows in her vegetable garden."

"She grows her own?" Maybe they weren't all as bad as she'd thought they'd be.

Emma made her a sandwich, and Rachel was once again struck by the oddity of it all. She would be usually still working, and no one made her lunches or dinners. Not for a long time. No one would notice her absence, although she imagined that the police would have wanted to question her.

"There you go," Emma said pushing a plate in front of her. "All vegan friendly!"

Rachel found herself smiling in return. "So is it just you and Sue?"

"Yes. Once upon a time the girls mothers used to be live here too."

"What about those two men? The ones who took my suitcases..."

Emma laughed before replying. "Those weren't men. Just shadows. I use them when I need to appear not so...defenseless."

"So there are only witches, and no wizards?"

"No wizards whatsoever. Just good old witches. Nothing else."Emma kept going on. "You will learn in time. As I said -to my knowledge- it's never happened that a witch would be brought up without knowing about her nature. And I don't want to overwhelm you with too much information. Plus once I get going on about demons and such...I promise you, from tomorrow I'll make sure that you catch up."She concluded.

 _Did she just say demons?_

* * *

Dinner was awkward. Throughout the meal Rachel had felt scrutinized by the other girls.

They were all staring at her as if she were an alien or a new attraction at a freak show.

To be fair, Rachel had also stolen a few looks in their direction. She couldn't imagine being raised in such an isolated place.

Did they ever get to leave? Go shopping? She wasn't going to risk asking, not yet.

Once finished, Emma gently dismissed her, insisting that she would need to rest for the busy following day. Which probably just meant that she wanted to talk to the others about her.

Rachel slowly made her way upstairs and to her bedroom. She changed into her comfortable and familiar pajamas and jumped into her new bed.

Her head was buzzing, so it took awhile before she could feel herself slowly falling asleep.

Her new reality was scary, yet , it felt weirdly...right. Maybe it did explain why she'd always felt like such an outcast. Not because she was more talented than others, but because she didn't even belong to the same species as them.

They wanted her there. Okay, not the other girls, but Emma did. In time, who knew, she could come to like the school.

But something had bothered her for awhile. Emma had said that witches could sense one another, Rachel had never sensed anything of the kind.

That's when she remembered her dream. She'd felt connected to the woman in her dream.

 _What am I going to do?_ She pondered, her hand closing on her necklace.

* * *

A young boy was laughing. He had a huge smile and dimples. His curly wild hair stood out in all directions.

"Rae!" He called. "Come on!"

Rachel squealed in delight. "I'm coming to get you!" She managed to get out between giggles. "Watch out!"

The boy stopped dead on his tracks. The grass and flowers around him withered, one by one.

"No, you are not." He cried.

The sky, which had been clear a few seconds before had darkened. A storm was coming.

"Let's go home!"Rachel pleaded. She had a really bad feeling. "Come on!" She urged, shaking her hand. "Hurry!"

A low hum grew louder and louder. Similar to a chant, it was eerily familiar. The buzz wasn't made out by words, yet she knew it meant something.

The boy had nearly reached her, his hand grasping her outstretched one. They were about to run towards their house when the chant grew to a painful screech. The boy stumbled and fell, clutching his body in agony.

"Rae!" He pleaded, it was too late. His tears had become red.

* * *

Rachel startled awake. Her body was covered by a cold sheet of sweat. Her dream had been so terrifyingly real. Rachel had never had particularly weird dreams; she usually dreamed about her future as star or meeting Barbara. Even after Finn had died her nightmares had never been so... overwhelming.

She checked the time, she'd found her wristwatch in her bag and had fondly put it back on.

 _Four in the morning. Great._

Rachel pushed her blanket back, casting a furtive look at the opposite bed. Santana was fast asleep, and it seemed that her sneer was always present.

 _She's probably not keen on sharing her room..._

Rachel got up as quietly as possible leaving the door partly open behind her.

She managed not to fall down the stairs and reached the kitchen without getting lost. It was still dark out and Rachel couldn't see much other than the outline of the forest. She was curious, about the whereabouts of this place, but she wasn't about to go out and check for herself.

Not yet at least.

She found the right cupboard and was about to pour herself a refreshing glass of water when the sound of a closing door made her jump.

 _What a wuss you've become!_

She held her breath, wondering if someone had just come back in or left. Not that it was any of her business, _but,_ Emma had made it sound as if the girls didn't go out on their own.

A blonde head bobbed in the kitchen. And stopped dead short once seeing someone else was up. It was the beautiful cheerleader-type girl, Quinn. And from the alarmed look on her face, she'd been out.

"I won't tell!" Rachel rushed to say. "I was thirsty so.."

Quinn's expression deepened into a scowl. "I don't care about that. Don't tell or else."

"Did you just threaten me?"Rachel scoffed.

"You are so smart! I don't like you, okay? I don't even trust you. I'm not sure why Emma was foolish enough to believe your story.."

"My story?"Rachel interrupted.

"Yes," Quinn hissed, venom had seeped into her voice. "I'll keep my eye on you."

Rachel remained speechless. She felt outraged and really irritated. _Don't get pushed around. Not anymore._ "And I'll keep my eye on you." It was the lamest thing she could have possibly said, but she didn't care. Quinn left after one last angry glare in her direction, leaving Rachel as confused as ever.

* * *

The boy woke with a shout. His dream had been so real...He looked around alarmed. This wasn't his room. He was laying on the ground. And it was freezing.

He scrambled on his feet, panic taking over.

What in the world was going on?

He could see mountains in the background, and a lake. Or maybe an ocean. He couldn't be sure. Scattered around him where lychees,browny shrubs and a few patches of grass.

What an odd dream.

He shivered again. _Wake up_ , he huffed. _Come on!_

Nothing happened.

He noticed then that his feet were bare and that he was still wearing his blue pajamas.

A small yet worrisome detail.

"Son!" A woman's voice hollered. He whirled around, to find himself face-to-face with a dark haired woman. She was wearing a black dress which struck him as old fashioned. "Took you long enough." She remarked.

He gulped loudly. That wasn't his mother.

Her scornful chuckle was crisp and clear.

The wind swept to the side her long dark hair, she didn't seem to care.

"I've missed you."She whispered hugging him.

He remained still like a statue. What kind of absurdly surreal dream was he having?

"Don't worry,"she continued, "I'll bring your sister home."

The boy pulled away from her embrace. "I don't have a sister." He contoured.

The woman's eyes glistened. "Foolish boy."She cooed, before lacing her fingers around his throat. "Never lie to me again."

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please review...**

 **I'll post the next chapter before Friday. Spoiler: Santana doesn't like the new vegan regime. And spells. Lots of spells.**


	3. III: Vice hidden by Virtue

**Warning: gory!**

 **R &R**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Vice hidden by Virtue**

Blood was dripping.

The eerie sounds of the ripples created by the accumulating drops echoed throughout the cave.

That wasn't the worst part.

The truly overpowering thing was the smell. Or the stench, in this case.

There was something different about human blood, it's metallic scent was almost rusty.

Worst of all, it was overwhelming. It clung to everything and everywhere.

No place was safe.

Rachel had been wandering about for what had seemed an endless amount of time. She was sure that if it hadn't been a dream, she would have fainted.

The stark landscape suited perfectly the reek that pervaded the air.

The ground was dark and rocky, while the sky was tinged by red. Puddles of blood had quickly been formed by the constantly falling blood, and now covered most of the earth.

Rachel stopped short once her bare foot landed in one of them. She wrinkled her nose in disgust before retracting her foot. She hadn't noticed that her hair was now soaked by the blood, as where her clothes.

It was a weird apocalyptic dream.

 _Raining blood, really?_

Rachel gave up her futile wandering, and sat on a slightly wet patch of ground.

Voices far ahead, or maybe down below, vibrated through the scenery.

"Those poisonous witches!" A shrill voice hissed. It might have belonged to an elderly woman, or so Rachel had thought, before mid speech it morphed into an obviously male voice. "Those witches!"

"Ira! Do behave." Chided in a second voice, that like it's companion had been said by both male and female voices. "You lose you temper, oh so quickly!"

"Using our creatures as they see fit. Calling us to their every whim!"

A third voice joined in, it's gender just as ambiguous as the other two. "They think they own us! They make deals with mortals on our behalf! They use cards to predict our next moves...When will it end? When are things going to go back as they used to…"

"We made them. We can destroy them!"

Their gawks combined together creating a cacophony of hysterical laughter.

"We'll make sure they won't survive. No more witches shall be born."

"We'll have to pay the price. A life for a life."

Their voices grew louder, as if they were approaching her. Rachel however couldn't see any figure, for miles and miles.

Their unison chant rang through the bloody land:

"A proud look,

A lying tongue,

Hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked plots ,

Feet that are swift to run into mischief,

A deceitful witness that uttereth lies,

Him that soweth discord among brethren."

They had been close then, so close that she should have been able to see them. Alarmed she scrambled to her feet, running in the opposite direction.

After a few minutes she realized that their chant sounded closer than ever, no matter the direction taken, they were inching closer.

They repeated the chant, over and over. Again and again.

Until one screeched. It's agony palpable through the air.

"They are fighting back! They have taken one of us!"

"One, a dark witch. She has taken us! Us is gone!"

The screams that followed made her body recoil in pain. It felt as she'd been teared apart, limb by limb. A slow and relentless agonizing sensation.

"Us, we will be reunited once more!"

They should have been upon her then, for how close their shrills were.

The blood was pouring down from above, drowning her attempts to get rise from the ground.

A woman's plea reached her, crystal clear against the madness of sounds that had been suppressing her.

"Vice is my desire,

daughter of blood and fire,

sinful from birth,

vice is her desire,

mortal flesh and bones,

undying chore,

for she will yield their powers,

yet be mine for every desire."

* * *

Rachel hadn't slept much after her early encounter with Quinn. She tried, unsuccessfully. She must have had another weird dream, but thankfully she didn't remember any details regarding it. She had enough weird thoughts without adding odd nightmares.

She'd quietly dressed and walked downstairs, a faint and inviting smell of coffee was coming from the kitchen, and she wasn't surprised to see Emma, humming a cheerful tune under her breath.

"Morning,"Rachel hesitated to say, unsure wherever she could call her by her first name.

Emma swirled around bearing a bring and warm smile. "Good morning Rachel. Did you sleep okay?"

 _Ah-ah. You don't really want to know the details._ "Not bad. I still have to get used to...all of this."

"I hope Santana didn't wake you. She can be a bit brusque at times."

 _Brusque? A bitch maybe._ "No problem whatsoever," Rachel assured her.

"Coffee? We have a long day ahead, you and I, so you better get some fuel in that body of yours!"

* * *

Emma hadn't been lying. As soon as Rachel had finished her muesli, they got to work. Or study in this case. Rachel followed her to a study situated at the second floor.

The basics were:

The first witches, the one who now were referred to as the roamers, were daughters of a mortal and a demon, _yes, a demon,_ and their daughters would also be witches.

A witch could do various things. All witches were able to cast various spells, however only some were powerful enough to do magic without being restricted by a chant. Most witches of the past used to pose as fortune tellers, our sell spells to the mundanes. Nowadays, they mostly slayed demons. _They slay demons._

There were books upon books on the history on the history of witches, that apparently Rachel had to read. She actually liked studying, so no harm could come from it.

"So," Rachel drawled out. "We are partly related to demons?"

"We aren't demons." Emma reassured her, sensing her discomfort. "Now, we may have in the past made deals with them, but it isn't something we are proud of."

"How...did I kill Tom? I've never learnt any spell whatsoever!"

"I think you are a powerful witch Rachel." Emma remarked, appearing pensive. "Very powerful. Untrained, you could be dangerous. But with the right training, you could change things."

* * *

Rachel spent the rest of the day alone in the study. Reading and analyzing the books Emma had given her.

 _No time like the present!_ She'd reasoned.

A few hours later a knock disrupted her. "Tea?"

It was Marley, the tall and skinny girl who'd been just as friendly as the other girls the day before.

Her tentative smile made her pause from her furious annotating. "Oh, thank you."

Marley left her cup on her desk before retracing her steps.

Witch or not, Rachel was as socially awkward as ever.

Emma called her for dinner and Rachel reluctantly joined them.

"Busy day studying?" Brittany asked with a contagiously honest grin.

"I have a lot of catching up to do."

Santana -who sat next to her- snorted. "No meat?"

Emma stilled. "Santana," It sounded as a warning.

"What? I'm just asking. God."

Quinn left the table as soon as she'd finished, ignoring everyone completely.

Emma insisted that Rachel should continue her studies the following day, and Rachel reluctantly agreed.

She didn't fall asleep and once again had to leave the comfort of her mattress. The kitchen -to her relief- was empty, and Rachel foolishly thought she could return to her futile attempts to sleep.

Whispers coming from a closed door made her stop. She knew she should have kept going, but curiosity got the best of her. She neared the door, which was on the same corridor as her room.

"I don't trust her."

"Neither do I."

"Do you think she's seen the internet?"

"We are not discussing that Brittany."

"I was just curious…"

"Girls, let's focus." That was undoubtedly Quinn's voice.

"Right boss."

"Let's keep an eye on her. That is all."

"Emma won't like it."

"But,"Quinn interrupted, "Sue approves. It's harmless, no one gets hurt."

"Rachel might."

"You don't even know her Britt!"

Rachel stumbled away from the door. Nauseated she ran to her bedroom, covering under her blankets.

" _They hate you because you are amazing Rachel." Leroy had said. "You have the voice of an angel."_

" _Full of life!" Quipped in Hiram._

"They are just jealous." Rachel murmured to herself. "Because you are powerful and dangerous."

She repeated it again and again. Until it had become a sort of lullaby.

In her last wakeful moments she heard them again. Those unnatural voices.

"A proud look,

A lying tongue,

Hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked plots ,

Feet that are swift to run into mischief,

A deceitful witness that uttereth lies,

Him that soweth discord among brethren."

* * *

Quinn didn't feel bad about it. Not that she ever felt guilty about the things she did.

Sue had been right. Rachel was not to be trusted.

And Quinn wouldn't let her hurt her family.

* * *

 **Thoughts?Comments?**


	4. IV: The Bravery of the Cowards

**I am so sorry about the long wait, I haven't updated since June!**

 **So, firstly I want to thank every person that has followed, favoured and reviewed this fiction.**

And I'm going to say it (or write it, in this case) just this once: this is not inspired by AHS: Coven. Okay? I would have otherwise put it down as a crossover; ShadowClub and LookOutReader, when I said I liked constructive criticism I didn't mean your type of comments. By stating : "this is like AHS, and I don't like it" you don't really voice a valuable opinion regarding my fic. So take your bitchy commentary elsewhere. Peace.

Now back to the story...

* * *

 **Chapter IV: The Bravery of the Cowards**

Rachel spent most of her days studying. Or catching up.

She'd wake, have breakfast with Emma, and study. She took lots of notes -as only a _good_ student would do- and wrote down her theories regarding her new...life.

She'd exchanged a few words with Marley, regarding her gardening, but other than that the other girls had only talked to her a few times, and only in regards of the mundane world.

Rachel felt bad for them. They'd lived their whole lives isolated from society.

Emma however politely suggested not to divulge in such matters, according to her, no good would come out of it.

Sue had been a different story. Her brusque personality was...quite a handful to take in. She obviously didn't like Rachel and thought it funny to give her a few degrading nicknames. The girl didn't understand her behaviour, usually her professors adored her. Okay maybe not adored but never disliked her that much, regardless of her once upon a time strong personality, they appreciated the effort she put into her work.

They'd all left to 'train in the woods' and Rachel had found herself alone in the huge house. Curiosity got the better of her and she left her desk and books, heading down to have a little snack. All the food they had were branded bio, Rachel was quite sure that there weren't any shops for miles and miles, and an organic food shop? Dream on.

It had started to rain and the sky was now clouded by dark clouds.

Inside it was eerily quiet, the only sound was that of the rain against the windows.

Rachel inched closer to the sliding doors that were in the living room, she slid one open, and stuck her head outside.

The cold and fresh air mixed with the familiar smell of the rain, was intoxicatingly pleasing.

It cleared her mind a little.

"You'll catch a cold moron."

Rachel's head snapped back in. Quinn was standing a few feet away looking smug.

"Planning on going somewhere?" She questioned, inching threateningly close.

"Like you do?" Rachel was quick to retort.

Quinn sneered, raising a perfectly immaculate eyebrow. "What I do is none of your concern, outsider. You don't have a say in what we do."

That was incredibly ridiculous. "Are you being serious right now?"

Quinn's frown deepened. "I am. Do not provoke me girl."

Rachel remained puzzled at the other girl unusual way of speaking. "Or what?" She prodded.

Quinn lips parted but not a word was spoken. Her concentrated look was what alarmed Rachel. Her mouth moved yet no word was uttered. Her eyes were partly closed.

She looked otherworldly, as if something had taken possession of her body.

Worried Rachel was about to shake her before realising that her own body had frozen. She couldn't move. Her chest felt heavy as stone, and each breath was agonising.

 _She is doing this to you…_

Quinn no longer seemed in a trance. Her coy smile made Rachel want to rip her face off. And Rachel wasn't usually one for violence.

"Weakling." The blonde girl murmured closing the distance between them. She lifted an elegant long hand to the shorter girl's chest and pushed. Rachel fell, painfully hitting the floor. She couldn't turn around or call out for help. She was a rag-doll, and Quinn, the puppet master, was in complete control. It was terrifying and unsettling.

Rachel knew she was witnessing magic.

Witches had never felt so real.

It was then, while she was immobilised on the floor, that Rachel wondered wherever Tom must felt the same thing. Not the pain, but the fear of having no control whatsoever over something so unnatural...And although so far, all the books she'd read said that magic was as natural as air itself...the concept of it was...unthinkable.

"Tell me who sent you?" Quinn demanded, towering menacingly above the other girl.

"No one you dumb blonde!" Rachel screamed pulling the taller girl down.

They tussled on the floor, pulling and hitting one another.

Emma's booming voice stopped them from continuing. "Enough, both of you!"

The two girl eyed each other carefully before pushing themselves up.

"Now, I don't like to think of you as petty children, but you do like to prove me wrong."

Rachel was about to defend herself - _she started it!_ but stopped short when she met Emma's stoic stare.

"I've already asked the other girls to behave accordingly, no more sneaking behind my back Quinn, understand?"

Apparently the other girls secret meeting hadn't been so secretive after all. Not that Rachel wasn't glad about it. Hopefully they would all stop behaving like...silly bullies.

 _Bullies._

Whatever Emma said next was lost on her.

* * *

It was odd how quickly Rachel had gotten used to her new home. Maybe because for the past year she had been in a sort of limbo, and hadn't noticed how much she'd missed being with other people. Not that after Finn she'd been completely alone. Her fathers might have ignored her new depressed self but there was always Tom. Tom who had been her only friend… but it was better not to dwell on Tom.

Her future might have not been secure, and really, it wasn't. Discovering that she was a witch had been quite the shocker. And knowing that she was the youngest witch? Yeah, not completely stress-free, not when she knew there were otherworldly creatures roaming around and about and killing other witches. Although according to Emma there hadn't been any recent deaths.

She started attending the same lessons as the other girls, and weirdly enough by the time December stroll by she had come to think of both Marley and Britt as her own friends. Obviously, she wasn't about to tell them as much, it was her secret to keep.

Santana hadn't stopped behaving like...well Santana, and Tina was very shy yet they did talk occasionally.

Brittany in particular loved hearing about the outside; Emma might have forbade her from going on about her previous life but Britt had a way of making Rachel at ease that it would have been practically impossible not to blabber. She avoided talking about her last year, that had been a no-brainer.

Most importantly, Rachel had come to love magic. She had learnt an array of different spells and often practised them with Emma's sensation that magic brought was addictive.

It seemed that Rachel had found a place in which to belong.

If only it weren't for the dawning sensation of imminent doom that came every night before she fell into a relentless sleep. It wasn't as if she wanted to spoil her new life...it was just hard to ignore those terribly vivid nightmares. Nightmare in which she often wandered in the same desolated land while red rain pour from a pitch black sky, the same eerie voices she'd first dreamt of would chant creepy rhymes; the worst part was that once she woke she would still smell the blood, the _human_ blood. It's rusty and overpowering stench would not abandon her for days afterwards.

Emma had noticed something but had never pressured her into spilling her guts about it. "If you feel like talking, I'm here for you."

Rachel had felt awkward at the older woman's words. It seemed weird that the only adult figure she could rely on was a woman she'd just met. And their first meeting hadn't painted Emma to be a trustworthy figure.

It was after one particularly bad night that the girls were told to visit the woods on their own.

"Me and Sue have business to attend to. We won't be away long, we should be back come dawn." Emma had announced that morning, earning quite a mixed reaction from her students, Britt in particular didn't seem to like the idea of being 'alone'.

Regardless they left, and Rachel was for the first time alone with her fellow students.

As instructed by Sue they left for the woods, as they would have done any other Tuesday. They didn't talk much during their training, and Rachel appreciated that. Her mind was still reeling after her not-so-pleasing night. After their usual routine, which involved lots of running and jumping, she remained in one of the many wood's clearings, practising a minor spell when she heard someone approach her.

Quinn's blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, she looked ready to kick some ass. Hopefully not Rachel's one.

"How may I help you?"Rachel mockingly asked, it was hard to pretend that she and Quinn were on good terms. They didn't fight, but they were a long way from 'okay' with one another.

Quinn didn't take the bait and sat on a log, completely at ease with her surroundings. _She grew up in these woods, unlike me._

"I was just checking on your...technique, Emma asked me too."

Rachel gave a noncommittal reply, _of course she asked you._ "Well, I'm doing fine so…"

Quinn cocked her head sideways, her hardened expression dissolving in a more curious one. "Are you trying to change those leaves?"

Rachel sighed, resigned, before nodding. "I've just finished a volume on 'Recast' spells. I thought I might try to…"

"They aren't the easiest of spells, not many witches can do them."

"Warping reality never comes easily. I doubt these leaves want to change colour anyway, I mean they look good in green."

The sound of Quinn's laughter made her whip her head towards her. Quinn caught herself and 'recomposed' herself, it wasn't done quickly enough to wipe Rachel's grin from her face. It felt like a victory of sorts to make the ice queen smile.

Quinn picked up one of the leaves and inspected it. "The trick is not to mind. You have to believe that the world doesn't affect you the way it should. Otherwise it will be impossible to alter your reality." As she spoke the long, thin and needle-like leaf morphed slowly and then all at once into a flower, precisely a red rose.

Rachel's mouth opened but she was speechless. It was the single most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

Quinn had gotten up and was now standing opposite to her. "There, you can keep it." She gently pushed the rose into Rachel's clammy hands.

Rachel desperately wanted to say something, _thanks?_ It wouldn't have rendered how thankful she really was. So she just inspected the rose, it's velvety petals were strangely warm, and it's vivid red colour seemed to be glowing.

 _The trick is not to mind,_ Rachel closed her eyes and lightly squeezed the hand that was now holding the rose. Seconds trickled buy and nothing happened. She didn't care, she was focused on a dream she had only a few weeks before. The dream were she was running after a boy, a young boy. They played with one another by a willow tree. For some reason, that was obviously beyond her, she wanted to see that same willow tree again. She wanted to know that it really was real.

Quinn's surprised gasp made her open her eyes. The rose had fallen to the ground, and it seemed to be expanding. The earth beneath their feet shook, and both girls lost their balance and fell to the ground.

It lasted barely a few heartbeats, and then it was over. Rachel could once again hear the forests reassuring sounds.

Head spinning she stood onto her uncertain feet feeling bitterly disappointed.

Not only had she achieved nothing, but she probably had managed to ruin Quinn's beautiful rose. Speaking of Quinn, she eyed the other girl, fearful of her reaction.

But Quinn wasn't angry, her eyes were fixated on something. Rachel followed her gaze and stopped short from saying whatever apologise she'd managed to conjure up.

The willow tree was there. Only a few feet from them; as if it had always been there.

"That was...incredible." Quinn spoke those words without tearing her eyes away from the tree. "Why a willow tree?"

"I have no idea why... maybe I just like them. I think me and willow trees share the same...vibe."

Quinn smiled again. Shy as it had begun it soon stretched into a full grin. "It was pretty wicked."

Rachel's cheek grew hotter and she gave a half hearted shrug. That's when she smelt it: the rose. While Quinn's rose no longer was there, since it had morphed into something else, it's perfume still hung in the air.

 _Now that is wicked._

* * *

The woman's hands shook.

She could feel it, the change.

Something had happened.

The boy was sleeping, completely unaware of the importance of that moment.

She knew that she could never reach her in time.

But her chant would.

* * *

Quinn and Rachel walked back to the house together, the other girls had apparently already left. They didn't speak to each other, but for once their silence wasn't one of animosity. Rachel felt happier than she'd been in a long time.

Their home had come into view, Rachel felt at once both relieved and sad. She wished that she and Quinn could just wander in the woods all day. _What is wrong with you_ _?_

Quinn stopped in her tracks, and Rachel foolishly thought that maybe the blonde girl had also enjoyed their outing as much as she had. _As if._

"Something is wrong."

Those weren't the words the brunette had expected her to say. "What do you mean?" She looked around, it all looked perfectly normal. Nothing had changed since they'd left the house that same morning.

A scream tore the air. An agonisingly pained sound that made Rachel jump. "What was that?!"

Quinn looked as shocked as she felt. "I don't…"

The scream continued, and Quinn bolted towards it. Rachel called after her, _bad idea, never run towards the danger._ S

he hesitated before running after her, _to hell with danger._

They ran between the trees while the scream grew louder and louder, before ceasing completely. By then they'd reached a clearing. Tina was on the ground, her uniform was stained by a dark and quickly expanding red stain, her head hung heavy to one side, her eyes were glassy and empty. All those details made Rachel shiver.

Britt was holding her, rocking her body gently, while crying.

"Britt? What the hell is going on?" Quinn shouted, crouching beside her.

Rachel felt sick. _Tom, he was also..._

Brittany just sobbed harder.

Quinn gently yet firmly shook her. "Pull yourself together! Where are Santana and Marley?"

How could she be so brusque? Rachel shook away that thought. Quinn was right. What had happened?

"They...went...a-a-after them."

"Who? Who did this to Tina?"

Brittany didn't have time to answer for yet another scream made it's way trough the woods.

Rachel knew it was Marley.

Her body moved before her mind could tell her otherwise. She ran towards the scream.

Quinn, or maybe Brittany, called after her but she kept running.

She ran until her lungs felt about to explode, and she stopped only when she saw her, Marley. She was being held down by a massive shadow. Not a shadow, a creature. Something not human. It's body vaguely recalled one of a person, but the many spike-like bulges that covered it's body were anything but. Definitely not normal. It had horns and claws, it was otherworldly.

Rachel's brain regained it's consciousness, what was she to do?

 _Improvise, you are good at that._ "Hey! Leave her!" She roared, she had to get it off Marley. Hoping that that thing would take the bait, even if it probably didn't understand her, hopefully it could at least hear her.

It did the trick. The creature whipped it's head towards her, revealing a mouth full of rows of sharp needle-like teeth.

 _Shit._

It was horrifying, and it was coming towards her.

Fear took over, freezing her on the spot.

She could not look away.

 _It will all be over now._

She had given up all to easily, but who could blame her? Tom and Finn were no longer alive, and she had only truly cared for them. Yes, maybe it was finally time to go.

A whisper filled her hears, brought by the cold wind, against all hope, it reached her.

" _My child, you are more than this._

 _Vice is your desire,_

 _daughter of blood and fire,_

 _sinful from birth,_

 _vice is your desire,_

 _mortal flesh and bones,_

 _undying chore,_

 _for you will yield their powers,_

 _yet be mine for every desire._

 _Corrupt their hearts."_

By the end of the chant, the creature was towering over her. It stank of blood, as if it had come right out of one of Rachel's own nightmares. Its empty eye-sockets were the single most terrifying sight Rachel had ever seen, yet she did not scream.

 _I am better than you._

She parted her lips and said as much. " _A pride look corrupts you."_ As she spoke that unfamiliar spell she trusted her hands towards her enemy, and from her fingertips came a flash of light; the creature leapt -far too late- as her lighting struck its target. The thing screeched as it caught fire, in a few seconds its lament ceased and its lifeless carcass hit the ground, while the fire vanished into thin air.

" _You did well."_

Rachel fell to the ground, and the world turned black.

* * *

The boy didn't believe the woman, not at first.

She had taken him from his home into the wilderness.

She also kept calling him son, which he disliked immensely. He knew his mother, and that woman wasn't her.

Still, he had not tried to leave. Not yet.

For he believed her when she said he had a sister.

He knew it, deep down, deep in his bones, that it was true.

So he stayed with her.

She often disappeared, occasionally leaving one of her minions behind, to keep an eye on him.

He was soon enough able to make certain things happen, things that were unexplainable.

Weeks passed by, and he soon forgot about his other family. Or life, for that matter.

He would dream of horribly real monsters and metallic smelling rain.

He occasionally would dream of his younger self and a girl, who he believed to be his sister.

One December morning he woke with a start, he had once again dreamt of her.

And in that dream she was standing by a willow tree.

* * *

Rachel pried her eyes open, was her alarm clock broken? The light transpiring trough the curtains had woken her, and she pulled herself into a sitting position.

Brittany was sitting on a chair, by the foot of her bed. Her blonde head rested on the blankets, her breathing suggested that she was fast asleep. Her face was red and puffy. She had cried, a lot.

Rachel recalled then the monstrous thing that had hurt Tina...Tina, was she alright?

Rachel carefully yet quickly extracted herself from underneath her duvet. Outside her room the corridor was dark, the window's shutters were closed. She wobbled on uncertain legs to the stairs, before rushing down to the ground floor.

She heard Santana's voice, and felt sort of relieved. _She's okay._

They were sitting in the living room, Santana, Quinn and Marley. _What about Tina?_

Their discussion stopped short once they saw her. She smiled uncertainly, _they must now what happened. And why._

Marley enveloped her in a tight hug. "You saved me Rachel!"

 _I killed that thing. I did it._ "Where is Tina?"

Marley looked ready to cry and that was her feared answer: she was dead.

"We couldn't do anything to…"Santana whispered, her eyes were glistening with tears. "I tried to...my spells did nothing."

"We knew it was too late. We'd already felt her leave us." Rachel hadn't felt Tina die so she didn't understand. "No spell can bring her back." Quinn's voice was as cold as ever. Unlike the other girls, she seemed to be calm and collected.

"Was it a demon?"

Santana's bitter laugh lacked any humour. "No, we would all be dead if it had been. There aren't many demons, and they certainly wouldn't bother killing weaklings like ourselves. They send their servants to do the dirty job."

"Are those the things that have been hunting us down? I mean witches."

"Yes," Quinn sighed rubbing her temples. "Emma and Sue must be on their way back. They know that one of us is dead. You can go lay down Rachel, that lighting spell you did...forget it. You are probably tired, go back to sleep."

"You should rest too Quinn, you carried Tina here, you must be tired now." Marley gently said, the concern showing on her face was practically palpable.

Quinn grumbled but obeyed, and together they took the stairs to the fourth floor, leaving behind the other girls.

"Spit it out." Quinn hissed facing her door.

"What?"

Quinn turned towards her with an unreadable expression. "Say it."

 _No point playing dumb,_ that's what she meant. "I didn't feel Tina die. I don't know why, I just don't feel this _connection_. I believed she was alive when I woke."

Quinn did not speak immediately, and when she did her voice wavered. "I envy that. We feel it. Each time they kill one of us, it's painful and horrible. The worst thing is when we die in larger numbers. Our mothers had gone for a hunt together when they were killed. All at once. I thought I could never withstand such a soul crushing pain."  
What could Rachel say to that? _I'm sorry?_

She didn't. It only seemed fair for her to be honest in return.

"I can't imagine...such a thing. But I did feel like dying too when my boyfriend died. He...I loved him, more than anything and we had finally gotten out of our claustrophobic town when he died. And after that I felt as I'd died too. I was a zombie, a shadow. For nearly a year the only thing that kept me from killing myself was that I am a and always will be a coward. And I couldn't do it. I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I understand, in some way how you must have felt. Even without a real connection to Finn."

"You are not a coward Rachel." Quinn's words were barely more than a whisper and she immediately disappeared into her bedroom leaving Rachel alone in the empty corridor.

She hadn't told her that the single worst feeling she had experienced wasn't when Finn, her high-school sweetheart, had died.

Tom. His name alone made her lips quiver.

That night, that horrible night when everything changed, she had to be pulled away from his lifeless body by force. She'd shouted and screamed a series of obscenities she'd never even had thought about, while they took her away from him.

"Let me go! I want to be with him!"

No one knew just how much she'd loved him, the boy she killed.

And now, the body count increased.

Two.

Her eyes lingered on Tina's bedroom which was closed.

One way or another, death always found it's way to her.


	5. V: Leaves Slow, Comes Back Fast

**Thanks for all your kind comments! They really made my day!**

 **I'm hoping that I will be able to update this fic at least once a week.**

 **Anyhow, any mistakes etc are solely my fault.**

 **ps: I had this song on repeat while writing this chapter,**

 **watch?v=A0Dc8DtVxb0**

* * *

 **Chapter V: Leaves Slow, Comes Back Fast**

Rachel's dads had once meant the world to her.

They'd made sure that Rachel had everything she wanted, to the point that often people called her spoilt.

She had been their pride and joy, and naturally, she deeply cared for them.

And then, after Finn's death they had become increasingly more disinterested with her. Although they lived in the same house, they rarely crossed paths. She was a lodger, not a daughter.

Rachel didn't resent them. She understood their feelings, and she deserved to be blamed for her own unhappiness.

She had given up everything for a boy, a boy her dads had never particularly liked.

Rachel liked to fantasise about her childhood, to recall a time in which they had loved her. A time where things were simple and they had cherished and protected her.

That night, that faithful night Rachel killed Tom, when her dads looked at her, there was no warmth left in their eyes.

 _Fear._

They were afraid of her.

 _"You can't come back."_

That's what they had told her.

 _"You can't stay Rach. You don't belong with us."_

In the following weeks she tried not to think about them at all.

However, it didn't matter how many days would pass, she could never forget that those words had made her want to die.

* * *

Emma was back. Quinn knew the instant she stepped through the house threshold. She hadn't rested, a few hours of relentless sleep hadn't helped to soothe her uneasiness. The only that could have helped her would have been a walk in the woods. And that was out of the question.

Quinn changed into a pair of comfortable clothes before heading downstairs. She had thrown away the uniform she had worn the day before, Tina's blood had irrevocably stained it.

They were all sitting by the kitchen table, all except for Rachel, who was probably still asleep.

 _Powerful spells weigh on the body._

Emma's smile was a tired one. "Quinn, glad you're up."

Sue nodded, for once not adding any mean comment.

"I was telling them what happened." Marley spoke with unease, she had bags under her eyes and she looked pallid. "As I was saying, Santana had gone off after that lowling, Brittany and Tina were about to follow her when the lowling attacked us, we didn't see it coming. We didn't have time to...plan anything. It hit Tina and then it ran off and I went after it. But it was too powerful. I couldn't…"

Emma squeezed the girl's arm. "You can't feel responsible for Tina's death."  
"So who killed it?" Sue asked, although it was more of a demand. Sue spared no time for sympathies.

"Rachel." Marley shivered as she said the girl's name. "It was about to strike me and she just waltzed in, casting a spell I've never heard of. The creature burned into nothing before my very own eyes. She saved me. If it weren't for her I would be like Tina…"

Santana snorted, looking annoyed. "Who cares? What I want to know is where did you two go yesterday? Business trip my ass."

"Santana!" Brittany rushed to caution her friend. Young witches weren't meant to be disrespectful to their elders.

Santana casted a rare angry look to her friend. "I'm speaking the truth. I want to know. We deserve to know. You never leave together, and now Tina is dead!"

"Listen up you spoilt little girl," Sue practically hissed the words.

"Enough!" Emma's voice was firm as ever. No one spoke after her intervention. "They have a right to know. We had to investigate some sightings in Ohio."

"How many?" Quinn had always been the one for statistics and number. Her lack of more emotional responses had gained her the title of _ice queen_.

"A fair amount. Point is," Sue sighed tiredly, any trace of anger gone from her know resigned tone. "They killed two civilians."

"Killed? As in they had a deal or…"

"No such thing. It seems a demon sent them there. They were no casualties. They were the target."

The girls looked at one another wearing matching confused expressions. Finally it was Quinn who dared to ask: "Why them?"

Emma wrapped her arms around herself shivering as rain started to fall outside.

The grey sky a reflection of the somber mood.

"Two men. Hiram and Leroy Berry. Rachel's adoptive fathers."

* * *

Once again Rachel stood in that forsaken landscape.

Her bare feet had been once more stained by the red puddles that covered the rocky ground.

Their voices rang through the air, frightening as ever.

She wanted to fall to the ground and cry all the tears that she hadn't shed in the past months, or why not, the past year.

What was the point of anything if she couldn't find an escape in her dreams?

What was the point in all this gloom and doom?

She screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

Until a hand covered her mouth.

She sank her teeth into it, quickly escaping from her assailant's grip.

Someone yelped, and she faced her opponent...a boy, about her age.

He was wearing a pair of plain pyjamas and, she noticed, was like her barefoot. "That hurt." He complained, inspecting his hand. "Why did you bite me?"

Rachel was to stunned to answer. He couldn't be imagined, could he?

He seemed so real. His hand had been concrete.

"Are you out of your mind? Screaming like that? If I could find you so easily, that means those things could do it too."

"In my dreams I do what I please." Her childish answer earned a scornful look from the curly haired boy.

"Excepted this is not your dream. It's mine."

Rachel snorted, earning another disapproving glare. "That's what people in dreams always say."

"So that makes you part of my dream."

Rachel was getting sick of that silly conversation and once again wished she could just wake up. Anything was better than staying there.

The voices had inched closer, they always repeated the same words:

 _"They are fighting back! They have taken one of us!"_

 _"One, a dark witch. She has taken us! Us is gone!"_

 _"Us, we will be reunited once more!"_

The boy looked as scared as she felt. He feared those things too.

"Do you have this dream often?"

The boy nodded still looking scared, he kept whipping his head around, trying to see wherever the owner's voices were coming towards them. "I've never dreamt of you. I usually just walk and walk...and walk."  
Rachel, against her better judgment, pressed on: "Do you dream of a willow tree?"

She knew by his reaction the answer to her question. Recognition sparked through his face.

He seemed about to say as much when the dream dissolved into nothingness and she woke.

* * *

Rachel groaned, hitting the snooze button on her alarm clock.

She pulled her duvet over her head, she didn't want to leave her bed. Or face the day.

Or face anything ever again for that matter.

She knew that she had forgotten something, something important.

" _My child, you are more than this."_

A woman had whispered that to her the day before.

Mere seconds later she had killed that monster.

 _You have to tell them._ There was something wrong with her. She wasn't like them.

" _You don't belong with us."_

This time it would be different. They would understand. They wouldn't just send her away.

"Wake up sleepy head!" Brittany's greeting was met by a grumble.

"Later…" Rachel whined from her warm cocoon.

Her warm blankets were tore off her, and she complained some more.

Brittany was smiling at her, holding in one hand a tray.

It was the smell of coffee that managed to rouse Rachel into getting up. They sat next to each other on her bed while she slowly drank her much needed caffeine.

"Emma and Sue are back." Brittany said, breaking their comfortable silence. "They need to talk to you."

Rachel nearly dropped her cup. It was true then, they were going to send her away.

 _They'll probably just want to talk about Tina. Dead Tina._

"Okay, I'll go now." _Get it over and done with._

Brittany offered her one of her signatures smiles, that didn't reach her eyes.

Rachel left for the study, on the third floor, where Emma and Sue were waiting for her, looking both tired and alert.

"Oh Rachel, there you are."

Sue for once didn't sound as antagonising as she usually was. _Alert. Danger. Back away._

"Come on now, sit, we need to talk." Emma said, as kindly as always.

Rachel obeyed, a bad sensation had coursed its way through her. From the pit of her stomach, as if she had swallowed a bag of stones. She couldn't ignore it, that nagging sensation:

 _something wicked this way comes._

Emma and Sue exchanged a knowing look, before Emma sat next to Rachel, putting one of her hands on top of Rachel's ones. "Rachel, I appreciate what you did yesterday. You saved Marley, you should be very proud of yourself." She paused, and when she spoke again her voice was mournful. "Tina's death as had its toll on all of us. We know this. Still, we feel obliged to tell you the reason why we weren't here to prevent such a tragedy."

Rachel wanted to leave. Whatever was about to happen, it would be bad.

"There have been some sightings of creatures like the one you fought and eliminated." _Killed. I killed it._ "We had to go and see for ourselves, you see, lowlings don't hunt in...packs. So we left you girls alone."

"Where? Where did you go?" Rachel asked, hating the way her voice sounded to her own ears. _Pathetic and scared._

"Ohio," Emma whispered. "Lima."

Rachel shot up from her chair, which clattered to the ground. "What are you saying?"

"Your parents were killed by them. We arrived and they had already killed them. I'm sorry."

White noise filled Rachel's ears, blocking whatever comforting words Emma was now saying. Her head was spinning, it couldn't be true. She was lying.

Rachel ran out of the room, nearly tripping over her own chair. She needed to leave, right now.

* * *

"I gather she didn't take the news well." Santana's remark was purely in bad taste and Brittany said as much: "You don't always have to be horrible, you know that?"

The girls were all in Marley's room, their lessons for the day had been cancelled.

"Emma will send her shadows after her. Those guys are annoying." Brittany said, she was standing by the window, as if hoping she would catch a glimpse of Rachel.

Marley gave her a sideways hug as she said: "Don't worry Britt, she'll be back."

Quinn watched her friends, in the course of one day they had become a sad mess. She hated it.

Without a word, she left the room, and went to her own bedroom. She knew where Rachel had probably ran off too, and she was half tempted to go find her on her own accord. Brittany was right, Emma's men were irritating and far from friendly. Not that Quinn called herself friendly. _Ah-ah._

She pondered what to do for a few minutes before finally deciding: she would bring that blasted Rachel girl back.

* * *

Quinn had discovered a way to leave the house years before, only a few months after her mother's death. She made sure always to return to her bedroom before the others would wake.

It had been her escape, when she wanted some time out, away from the people she had lived with for all her life.

Quinn had lived in the school the longest. She had been practically lived there since her birth, so to say she was protective of it, was a huge understatement.

So no, she hadn't been pleased when she'd first met Rachel. She'd never heard of a witch discovering her nature at such an old age, so she hadn't given the other girl a huge welcome.

Also Rachel had caught her coming back from one of her escapades and she had been a bit too on the defensive.

She owed Rachel for not telling on her.

That was what she kept telling herself as she delved deeper into the woods.

She was being fair, not nice.

Quinn didn't do nice.

By the time she had reached the willow tree she was cold and wet, and more importantly, far from pleased.

Rachel stood by the tree as she'd expected her to be. She was wearing still wearing her pyjamas, and Quinn shivered in seeing her in that flimsy thing. It was freezing, was that girl completely crazy?

"Hey!"

Rachel jumped, looking like a startled deer. She shivered and hugged herself, before fixating her stare back on her tree.

"Emma will send her dummies after you. Or worse, Sue." _Another type of dummy._

Rachel didn't answer. She kept still, her eyes on that damned tree.

Quinn didn't understand her. They'd all lost loved ones, but she'd never seen any of the others react this way. Was it because she'd been raised with the mundanes?

Was she a faulty witch?

"Rachel you'll freeze to death if you don't come back."

Again she was met by silence, this girl was seriously pushing her buttons.

"Hey!" Quinn yelled exasperated. "Look I feel bad for you, but you have to toughen up. Witches don't have it easy. I'm not sure how mundane handle it but here we keep going, no matter what. And if you don't want to be the latest casualty, come back. For all we know now that they know our location, they might attack us again." By the end of her rant, she felt strangely flustered. She had just been trying to make the other girl understand the urgency of the situation. "Or stay here with your tree so you can both freeze to death."

That did the trick. Rachel finally looked at her. Her cheeks were streaked by tears. She looked fragile, and Quinn felt a twinge of remorse.

Before she could add anything else Rachel had surprisingly quickly closed the space between them.

Although she was smaller, there was something that made Quinn want to step away from her.

"Easy? You think I had it easy?" Rachel's laugh was hollow, and she looked nothing like her usual self. "You are a spiteful little thing, aren't you? I loved my dads. And now they are dead. You know the last thing they ever said to me was that I could never go back? My dads said I didn't belong with them. And now they are dead, and I know it's because of me. You know why they sent me here so suddenly? I killed a boy, an innocent boy. Three people died because of me. They weren't witches Quinn, that isn't fair. So never tell me that I have it easy, I don't."

Quinn couldn't formulate a response to the brunette's rush of words, and Rachel wasn't obviously expecting an answer since she just walked past her and back towards the house.

They walked in silence, like the had done the day before. And although it was the same road and the same two girls, it was completely and irrevocably different from the previous time.

* * *

They were all together, in the living room. The sorrow mirrored in their expression reflected the somber atmosphere of the room.

Sue spoke, after a long and awkward silence.

"Girls, we need to pack. We have to be on the road by this evening."

Everyone had something to say about it:

"No way!"

"We can't…"

"Where are we going?"

Sue rolled her eyes, waving her student's complaints away. "No ifs, ands, or buts. Our position has been compromised, and I assure that the longer we wait the more unlikely our survival will be." She stated in a gravelly tone.

Emma, ever the peacekeeper was quick to explain: "We are leaving Canada. There is only one place that can still guarantee the safety of our kind. Fay's Academy has welcomed us to stay underneath their jurisdiction. "

"How can we just leave?" Marley blurted out, quite uncharacteristically. "Our mothers have died to defend this place, this isn't just a school, this is our home."

"We have been trained for a reason. We should hunt those things." Proclaimed Santana tightening her hands into fists.

"It is not up for discussion, if I were you I would hurry and pack right now." Sue's warning was followed by her departure from their impromptu meeting.

Brittany and Marley left soon afterwards, sending one last dirty look towards Emma.

Quinn had observed the events unfold before her, without intervening. She had kept quiet as she watched her friend's poor reaction to Sue's news.

"Nothing to say _ice Quinn_?" Santana scoffed when she passed by, following in suit of her friends.

Which left Quinn alone with Emma and Rachel.

Rachel, who had not even spared a glance in Quinn's general direction since they'd been back.

Emma and Sue hadn't told her off for leaving, and Rachel had simply stayed quiet.

"Fay's Academy?" She inquired, breaking her selective mutism.

"It's a place much like this. Only bigger. It holds the highest number of witches up to date."

Rachel's frown deepened, as she cocked her head to the left. "You told me there were barely thirty witches left. That would mean that this place has what- less than twenty witches?"

If physically possible Quinn's jaw would have dropped to the floor when hearing those words. "Emma told you that?"She gasped, giving her mentor an incredulous look.

Rachel herself seemed confused by her reaction. "Yeah...when I first came here." And then she turned to Emma: "You told me I am the youngest witch. Isn't it true?"

Quinn waited for Emma to explain herself, to clear things up. She didn't.

"I'm sorry Rachel, you are the youngest but...there are still a few of us out there."

"How many exactly?" Rachel demanded, drawing each word slowly. _Someone's angry._

"Just under a hundred." Emma confessed, eyes casted downwards. Quinn had never seen her ashamed, which wasn't weird, since she had never had a reason to be.

Rachel let out an incredulous laugh. "Why did you say thirty then? What's wrong with you?!" She snapped thrusting open her arms.

Quinn herself could not hide her disbelief. "Emma, it's not true, you wouldn't…"

Emma looked guiltily at her students. "I wanted to see wherever Rachel could sense the connection. It was a test. I was hoping she would come to know the truth by herself. I thought you would come to feel the truth."

"You lied to me." Rachel quietly said, she looked defeated.

Quinn would have told the truth, if she had known about it. _I would have,_ she told herself. She was a team leader, a good one. _Unlike Emma._

"I'm sorry Rachel. I truly am. But it had a purpose. Now we know that you can't feel the connection. We can sense you, but you can't sense us. Maybe there is a reason why, if only we can work to find out-"

Rachel didn't bother hearing whatever good excuse Emma had come up with, and she left the room. Once she'd reached the stairs she turned around, her words trailing behind her:

"I'm not forgetting this."

After she'd marched upstairs, Emma and Quinn remained alone with one another.

"I can't believe you would lie about something so stupid."

Emma's authoritative gaze had lost it's effect on her, and she continued, unafraid. "Don't lie to me or the others. Never do it again."

"Are you threatening me Quinn? Need I remind you that you are still my student?"

"That wasn't a threat, but a promise." Quinn corrected her, giving her one of her coy smiles. "My mother has taught me how to play this game Emma, young as I may be, I am more powerful than most, you included."

Emma gasped, as if Quinn had just struck her.

Words had always been Quinn's weapon of choice.

* * *

Rachel stormed into her room, banging the door behind her.

Santana was already packing, and by her deep scowl, was also not pleased by the turn of events. "Berry, you sure like to make a scene."

Rachel didn't dignify her with an answer.

Too many things had happened at once, and she couldn't keep track of things.

The dreams and the monsters, and the deaths.

Tina and her dads were dead.

Her dads were dead.

Killed by...lowlings.

Rachel's turmoil of emotions only intensified. She wanted to hurt something or someone.

Why was she always beating herself down when it wasn't even her fault?

She had definitely not asked to have a witch as a mother.

She hadn't asked for Finn to die.

She hadn't asked for those bullies to beat her up.

Most importantly, didn't she deserve the truth?

She was on the verge of tears when something flashed before her eyes.

A spark, like the one of a lighter.

Only instead of fire, an image burned into her closed eyelids.

 _The willow tree._

 _A woman and two children standing before it._

The vision disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving Rachel to face -once more- her troubled reality.

* * *

Rachel's body acted for her; like a good puppet, she trailed after Emma and the other girls, barely registering where they were going.

She came to when they'd reached a cave, an opening in the rocks barely large enough to fit all of them.

On the rocky ground someone had made a red circle, with one weird symbol inside it.

Emma waved her hands towards them. "It won't bite." _Har-har. Funny._ "Now let's make a circle, remember to hold each other's hands." She calmly instructed.

Rachel wished she could say what was really going through her mind:

 _Dream on._

Her earlier defiance had abandoned her, so she followed the _traitor's orders_.

Brittany's warm hand enveloped her left one. The girl gave her a small reassuring squeeze, and although her eyes had lost some of their initial spark, her smile was as joyful as ever.

"Quinn, complete the circle."

 _Not her._ But chances were that it was indeed Quinn who was standing to her right. The blonde girl let out a groan before obeying Sue's croaky voice.

Unlike Brittany's hand, which was warm, Quinn's was cold. Which given the temperature outside, wasn't that weird. Still Rachel marvelled that her nickname did suit her rather well, since it was also a play on her name.

Quinn's expression -as usual- gave nothing away.

"After me: _Scattering trees, wind-swept land, terra firma._ "

They repeated her _silly_ chant once, and then again and again.

Rachel's body was eagerly awaiting the incoming magic, and when it reached her, she let the magic drown out everything else. Like a wave, it swallowed her whole, silencing everything else.

* * *

Her hair whipped in front of her, while her ears were filled by the roaring wind.

She no longer felt the ground beneath her feet.

 _I am in a tornado,_ she thought, _we are going to Oz._

 _"I see you, my child."_

Despite the confusion, the whisper reached her.

 _Who? Rachel wanted to ask._

 _Who are you?_

And maybe this time she would have had the courage to, if only the spell hadn't ran it's course.

The chant was over.

* * *

Rachel opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed weren't her surroundings but the temperature change. Wherever they'd ended up it wasn't quite as cold as the place they had come from.

Once again, they were in a forest. The sun shone brightly above and the green below seemed to glisten. Not far in the distance, beneath them there was a small lake.

There was a collective exhale, while they all took in the landscape.

Sadly, all too soon they were on the move again; bags in hand, they followed their professors into the unknown.

By the time they reached their destination, they were exhausted.

They had walked past the forest, and through a meadow. Rachel had no idea whereabouts in they world they were, but she wasn't about to ask, since she hoped someone else would.

There was a castle - _one hell of a big castle_ \- on top of a cliff, looking as if had come out of a fantasy book.

The sea -or was it the ocean?- was agitated, while above the sky had grown dark.

They walked through a broken and rusty gate, and into the property ahead. The castle looked dark, and no cars or vehicles were parked in the nearby distance.

 _Knock Knock, is someone home?_

Emma did knock on the entrance door. Although calling it a door didn't do it quite justice, since it was about twice the size of a normal one.

It was a castle, a big one at that.

They shivered, all eager to rest their tired limbs and shut their tired eyes.

The doors opened, with a loud rasping sound.

An elderly white haired woman, wearing a rather eccentric animal print coat, stood by the entrance. Age lines covered her serene face, she opened her arms, in a welcoming gesture.

"Welcome to the last sanctuary of witches."

She enveloped Emma in a hug, and although the younger woman remained stoic in her embrace, Rachel caught her relaxed expression.

Beside her Quinn turned to look at the sea, her eyes and mouth softened, losing their perpetual rigidity.

The other girls were also captured by the sight, and unlike Rachel, they had probably never seen the ocean- or sea, _where are we?_

"Come in now, before you all catch a cold."

One by one they stepped through the threshold, Rachel hesitated, sending one last glance behind her.

No one stood behind her, and yet she felt eyes watching her.

The now familiar whisper echoed in her mind:

" _I see you, my child."_

* * *

 ** _Please review!_**

 ** _Were do you think that this last sanctuary is?_**

 ** _Thanks for reading !_**


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